The initiative was launched as part of a
"Third Reconstruction" Proposed by Operation HOPE CEO
John Hope Bryant
ATLANTA, July 10,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Operation HOPE today
announced the formal launch of The Corporate Inclusion Initiative,
which aims to level the representational playing field of corporate
America by placing well-qualified minority candidates on company
boards of directors, ensuring that the boardrooms reflect the
ethnic and gender makeup of the country.
"The Corporate Inclusion Initiative aims to
place well-qualified minority candidates on company boards of
directors in the US."
Originally announced as part of a "Third Reconstruction" in the
Milken Institute Review, the initiative was designed to develop a
roster of highly qualified candidates that could be recommended or
placed in executive leadership roles for which they were
highly-suited. The initiative now boasts a confidential roster of
nearly 50 candidates representing a broad spectrum of executive
experience and backgrounds.
According to the Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate
Governance, as of 2022, only 22.2% of Fortune 500 corporate board
seats were held by individuals from underrepresented racial and
ethnic groups. While this is up from 17.5% in 2020, this percentage
lags well behind the demographic makeup of the United States.
By recommending and placing well-qualified candidates from
underrepresented ethnic and racial backgrounds on boards of
directors, we ensure that the most influential companies and their
decision-making are reflective and aware of our country's diversity
– when all voices have a seat at the table, everyone benefits.
How it works:
- High-profile members of the Operation HOPE network and
community recommend candidates from a wide variety of industries
and backgrounds.
- After rigorous vetting by the Corporate Inclusion team and
review by leadership, the candidates are added to the program.
- When necessary or beneficial, candidates are given executive
coaching and direction on improving their suitability for board
service.
- As placement opportunities become available, candidates are
recommended for roles in which they are both prepared and
well-suited.
- Corporate Inclusion serves as a catalyst for placement and an
objective advisor to both the candidates and the placement
organization, facilitating and assisting as needed.
About Operation HOPE, Inc.
Since 1992, Operation HOPE
has been moving America from civil rights to "silver rights" with
the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the
underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and
moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its
community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016
Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine,
Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and
directed more than $4.2 billion in
economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning
check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into
homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners,
minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain
disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. For
more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE
conversation
on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.
Operation HOPE Contacts:
Kevin Boucher, Operation HOPE
Kevin.boucher@operationhope.org
Lalohni Campbell, Per/Se Media Group
la@persemediagroup.com
404-593-7145
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SOURCE Operation HOPE, Inc.